Conflict of Interest
by rizzles-4-lyf
Summary: Janes engaged, and Maura isn't handling it will. Will they work it out?
1. Chapter 1

"You-You're getting married?" Maura felt her stomach turn, suddenly she felt extremely nauseous. Her mouth got dry, her hands began to shake; not much but enough to make her put down the pen that was in her hand. Her heart was racing. Her mind was going a million miles a minute. Jane stared at her best friends pained expression, not quite understanding the motive behind it. Maura swallowed the lump that had formed in the bottom of her throat before looking up at her best friend, scanning her face – her eyes – for any hint that this was some big joke. There was nothing there. "How will I survive without my best friend?" Her voice was shaking, tears burning her eyes, threatening to give her away. Her hand made its way to cover her mouth, looking down at the ground fighting with everything inside her to keep her emotions in check.

"Wait, Maura, what are you doing?" Jane asked softly, her voice laced with hurt. This was hardly the way Jane expected her best friend to react to her wedding announcement. Maura had always been so supportive of her relationship with Casey; encouraged it even. None of this made any sense to her.

"Excuse me." Maura breathed, keeping her head down and her hand on her face as she walked out of the room. She held it together until she got to her office, locking the door and closing the blinds. Sobs escaped from her chest the second she knew she was alone. She had never felt this before. Her chest felt like it was about to cave in, her throat was so dry she didn't believe she'd ever be able to speak a single word again. She sat down in the same chair she did every day, yet everything felt different. She shook her hands in front of her, doing everything in her power to make them stop shaking. She knew Jane would eventually come to see her, she knew if she saw her like this she would know.

The rest of the day past without a single visit from Jane, which made Maura both happy and horribly upset all at once. She called Detective Frost, sighing with relief when he answered the phone at his desk. He answered in the same blunt manor all the detectives seemed to.

"Frost." He said simply, no emotion behind his voice whatsoever. Maura really should have thought to practice speaking before she did this.

"It's Maura, has Jane left the office yet?" She frowned, closing her eyes and noting how strained and croaky her voice was. She knew he was going to ask if she was okay. That was one question she planned on avoiding at any cost.

"Yeah, she just left actually. Hey are you-"

"Thanks Frost." Maura said quickly, hanging up the phone before he could continue. She hated to be rude, especially to Frost. He had never offered her anything but kind words. There was one more person Maura wanted to call, though she didn't know if she could physically bring herself to do it. "Stop it Maura." She chastised herself, forcing herself to take three deep breaths as she dialled the familiar phone number.

"Hello?" His voice was soft as silk, he always did have a unique calming effect on Maura.

"Ian, it's Maura. I changed my mind; I do want to see you tonight." She spoke casually, trying to give nothing away with her voice. The last thing she needed was to be alone tonight.

He had always been good to her, treated her with respect. If there was anyone she wanted to spend tonight with that wasn't Jane; It was Ian. He agreed to go to Mauras later that night, and she had no intention of leaving the office until she knew he would be there. She couldn't risk running into Jane anywhere. Though she was probably home with her fiancé. The thought made her sick to the stomach. She took more deep breaths, desperately trying to force Jane from her mind. If there was ever a sign that Jane did not reciprocate Mauras feelings; getting engaged to her boyfriend was probably a big one.

After enough time had passed, Maura decided it was about time she head home. She checked her face in her compact mirror, groaning at the dark circles under her eyes. She did her best to clean up before she got home. She couldn't deny that she wanted to look good for Ian.

**Janes POV**

"Jane?" Casey called from the kitchen, snapping her from her thought of her best friend's reaction earlier in the day. "Beer?" He offered, she smiled and nodded toward him, noticing for the first time how different men and women walk. When Maura walked she was graceful, soft. Her movements were fluid, no hard edges to be found anywhere. When Casey walked… All Jane saw were hard edges.

"Hey, I might go see Maura." Jane told her fiancé. "She was pretty upset at work today." Jane confessed. She knew Casey wouldn't ask any questions. He was good that way; respected their friendship more than a lot of other men would have. Maura and Jane were always close, closer than many other best friends. They were two thirty something year old women who had sleep overs and played with each other's hair. Jane shook the thought from her head.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not figure out Mauras reaction. It was starting to make her mad. This is, hopefully, the only time I'll be engaged, and my best friend can't even fake a smile for me and pretend to like the man I'm marrying. Jane finished the last of her beer quickly, knowing that if she waited around much longer she wouldn't have the nerve to say to Maura what she wanted to say in that moment.

**Mauras POV**

When Maura arrived home, Ian was waiting at her doorstep. He held flowers and a bottle of wine in his hands, his face beaming at the sight of his ex-girlfriend. They didn't say anything as Maura placed her handbag on the ground, not hesitating for a second to give herself to Ian. With his one free hand, he embraced Maura, lifting her off the ground. She took a deep breath, inhaling his smell. She almost moaned at the smell; so many memories came flooding into her head.

"I missed you." Maura confessed when he put her down. He kissed the top of her head, saying more than words ever could. Once they were inside and he had put down the wine and flowers, Maura made her way over to him again. She wrapped her small frame around his. His arms wrapped around her, taking in everything he had missed so dearly about her.

"Where is this all coming from?" He asked, his accent hitting Maura like a ton of bricks. She'd forgotten how attracted to this man she was. He was no Jane, but he was a pretty close male counterpart.

"I had a terrible day. I needed to see a face that would made me smile." She confessed, looking up at him sweetly. Maura had never been overly brave, never overly sexually aggressive; but tonight she needed him, and she knew he was too much of a gentleman to make the first move so quickly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and thankfully he caught on pretty quickly, not hesitating for a second to wrap his arms around her back, lifting her off the ground again. Maura wrapped her legs around his body, letting her arms slump around his neck. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, just staring at one another. It took every inch of Mauras self-control not to think of Janes face. The way her dark hair falls around her face, the way her dimple pushes itself into her face when she smiles.

Ian took two steps backward and placed Maura on the kitchen counter. She kicked her high heels off, hearing them fall to the floor behind him loudly. She pulled his shirt over his head slowly, his hands only leaving her hips to throw the shirt onto the floor. He held her hips in his hands, pulling them until they touched, a small moan coming from Mauras mouth at the sudden contact.

Then he kissed her. Her hands went to the back of his head, doing anything to deepen the kiss. He moved his hands to rest underneath her shirt, softly stroking her skin. She couldn't help but frown inside at the feeling of his unshaven face against her cheek. She wondered how soft Jane felt when she was kissing- She caught herself in her thoughts, forcing herself back into reality.

**Janes POV**

She had no intention of knocking. She never had to before, why should this be any different? Jane thought as she got out of her car and made her way to the familiar door. She turned the doorknob quietly, only getting the door open a few inches before she was caught off guard by the sight of Ian. She closed the door over slightly, only just able to see inside. Maura was facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her lips all over his face and neck.

She suddenly felt light headed, but she couldn't stop herself from staring. Maura was always so much better than him, and she hadn't even informed Jane that he was back in Boston. Probably because she knew how she would react. A small moan came from Mauras lips at something he was doing, and Jane felt her stomach drop. She had no idea why her body was having such a strong reaction to the sight, but it was enough to make her squeeze her eyes shut.

"Jane?" Came Ians voice from the kitchen. Her eyes flew open in time to see Maura turn around, a shocked look on her face.

"Sorry." Jane breathed, closing the door quickly, running toward her car. There was no way she was going inside. She saw the front door open as she started her car. As she pulled out of the driveway she saw Maura standing in the door way with her arms folded. They made a second of eye contact before Jane drove away, not looking back.

She pulled over, her eyes burning with tears. What the hell was happening? She thought. Was she.. Was she jealous? She couldn't be sure what she was feeling. But one thing was for sure; she was going home and crawling into bed with her fiancé.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a long afternoon as Maura counted down the minutes, her eyes darting to my watch constantly. She just needed the day to end. She needed to go see Jane and fix whatever was broken. Her home felt so empty without her there. Ian was just a piece of furniture in her life at the moment, and she was ready to trade him in. She had asked him to give me some space for the next few weeks, which she knew would be easy for them both. This is what they did, they went back and forth whenever they needed one another. And she was okay with that.

She forced herself to wait until she knew Jane would be home, and just to be sure, called her home phone, hanging up when she answered. Now came the hard part, convincing herself to head over. 

More than once on the short drive to Janes house, she pulled over, still unsure of what was about to take place. Was Maura showing up uninvited going to make things worse? She took three deep breaths, her hands tightening on the steering wheel before she turned the radio on and kept driving.

The song sent shivers down her spine as she turned it up, letting herself get totally lost in her thoughts. Since the days she met Jane, all her thoughts seemed to revolve around her in some way. All she wanted in the moment was to lay beside her and touch her face, tell her all the forbidden things she spent her nights alone thinking of.

_See the sunset in yours eyes, see the thorn twist in your side; and I wait for you._

Maura had always assumed things would be okay with them. All the innocent touches, the late night phone calls, the countless times they talked about what sort of women they would be interested in if they were. Part of her always thought things were heading toward something incredible, something life changing. She was always considered to be a part of Janes family, she knew that much. But she wanted to _be _their family. She pulled up at the house, sighing as she choked back the tears threatening to show themselves.

_On a bed of nails she makes me wait. And I'll wait without you._

She knocked on the door, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard the sound of Jane fiddling with the lock. When the door opened, Maura was completely overcome with love. They didn't say anything to one another, they just stood there, sharing minutes of eye contact. "Come in." Jane whispered, moving to give her space to walk through the threshold.

_Through the storm we reach the shore. You give it all, but I want more._

The second Jane had shut the door, Maura dropped her car keys onto the floor, wrapping her arms around her best friends waist, Jane not hesitating to reciprocate the hug. Jane took it all in. The smell of Mauras honey blonde hair, which ironically smelt like honey and vanilla. She ran a hand over her back, memorising the soft feeling. She felt Maura nuzzle her head into her neck, giving her goose bumps. She could have sworn she felt Mauras lips touch her neck, but she could not be sure.

_With or without you. I can't live with or without you_

Mauras heart was racing. She took a breath, the smell of her best friend making her head swim. _Just do it _she thought. It was now or never. Maura pulled her head back slightly, and she noted the way Jane moved her head down voluntarily. They pressed their foreheads together, both of them breathing heavily already. Maura tightened her grip on Janes lower back, closing the space between them completely.

_We'll shine like stars in the summer night; we'll shine like stars in the winter._

When their lips touched for the first time, both of them sucked in a breath at the sensation. Mauras head was all over the place. She stopped her thoughts, not wanting to miss or forget a single second of the moment. She made a point to memorise the way Jane's hands made their way to cup her face, her thumb softly grazing her slight dimple. They separated momentarily; the light from her muted TV the only thing helped her see her best friend's small smile. Jane's hands moved from Mauras face and went around the back of Mauras thighs.

She couldn't help but let out a small moan as Jane lifted her off the ground as if she were a feather. She let her legs wrap around Janes middle. It was not the first time someone had do this to her, but it was the first time it made Mauras heart race, the first time she felt like crying at the overwhelming love she felt as Jane moved her to the sofa, their eyes never leaving one another.

Jane lowered her onto the soft beneath her, moving to hover over her slightly as she pressed her lips to Mauras again. It was gentle, soft. There was nothing overly sexual about the movements, yet it set Mauras whole body on fire. Jane moved Maura onto her side, sliding to squeeze in beside her so Maura was spooning her. She grabbed Mauras hand, bringing it to her face, placing light kisses to the back of her hand.

Maura gave into the moment, kissing Janes shoulder blades and the back of her head before snuggling up to her. Neither said another word the rest of the night.

Jane was awoken the next morning by a crack of thunder outside, her body jumping slightly. She frowned slightly at the fact she was on her sofa; until she looked down and realised whose hand was wrapped around her. She smiled to herself, slowly turning herself around to face Maura. Jane was never the most graceful of people, and her rough movements slowly woke her best friend. Mauras eyes opened slowly, and the first thing she saw was Janes smile. She smiled sleepily, Janes favourite smile.

"Hi." Maura whispered, breaking the silence. She couldn't help but frown at how her rough, half asleep voice ruined the mood in the room. Jane didn't say anything, instead brushing hair away from Mauras face, running her thumb over her cheek as she did last night, moving in to kiss her good morning. Maura smiled, "If I am dreaming don't you dare wake me up." Jane laughed at her words, kissing her again.

"Are you hungry?" Maura got butterflies, finally hearing Janes husky voice. Maura nodded, not wanting her voice to again ruin the moment. "Let me shower first." Jane yawned, sitting up and stretching, her shirt pulling up over her stomach as she did so. Maura had seen her best friend half naked more than once, but this was different. Jane laughed, noting her friend staring, and nudged her knee softly.

Maura wasted no time while Jane showered, going into Janes bedroom and picking clothes she knew not only looked good on her, but that fit well. She chose a pair of long tights and pulled a BPD singlet over her head. She checked to see if the shirt was see through, and for the most part it wasn't. It outlined her boobs perfectly without a bra on, so she opted with that.

She made her way into the kitchen and got out ingredients to make pancakes as Jane appeared behind her, poking her side and making her jump. They spent the rest of the morning making a mess, flour all over both of them as they laughed and placed innocent kisses to one another's faces whenever possible. Neither of them wanted to ask any questions today. They had both decided to let themselves have today with each other, and when tomorrow came, maybe they'd know what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

When Jane awoke the next morning, she was alone. She sat up, blinking sleepily as she looked around the room. Then she remembered yesterday. Maura and Jane were more than accustomed to spending nights at one another's homes, so when the memory of yesterday crashed into Jane, it crashed into her hard. Did Maura regret it? Was she upset? Jane began to feel extremely anxious, forcing her to get out of bed and get a cup of coffee.

She pulled her sheet around her body, not bothering with clothes. She held the soft yellow sheet under her arms, letting it drag around her legs as she walked. When she took her first steps down the hallway, she could hear humming. She swallowed hard, taking the final steps to round the corner and see Maura wriggling her hips as she cooked breakfast.

Jane sighed inwardly, tightening the sheet around her as she leaned against the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Maura continue to hum and move her hips. She was overcome by so much love it nearly knocked her off her feet. Maura had her hair pulled up into a messy pony tail and was wearing one of Janes work shirts. It just covered the bottom of her bum, so she couldn't tell if Maura had anything on her bottom half at all. The mere thought gave her butterflies, images of last night filling her head. Mauras moans still lingered on her mind, her taste still prominent on her lips.

Jane decided not to say anything as she quietly walked into the room. Maura turned slightly toward the sound of footsteps and smiled at Jane, going back to her cooking. Jane placed herself behind Maura, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was cooking. She was happy to see bacon, normal bacon, not some weird healthy version.

"Good morning." Mauras voice broke the peaceful silence, her voice like silk in Jane's ear. Rather than letting her husky voice ruin the moment, she placed feather light kisses to her best friend's shoulder blade. "I was worried Casey would show up." Maura said quietly, making Janes eyes squeeze shut. Casey. Fuck.

"No, he's at training for the week." I hated myself. I was so consumed with Maura and the way I was feeling about her, I had completely surpassed the fact that I was engaged. What sort of horrible person was I to _forget _that I was engaged? I suppose Mauras head between my legs didn't help.

Maura nodded as Jane moved to sit on a stool, pulling the sheet up and placing it between her legs so she could move them properly. Normally Maura was the person Jane would ask for advice on the current situation, but she didn't want to hurt her. Probably should have considered that fact before I slept with her and held her all night, Jane thought to herself.

"I feel like I should explain..." Jane started as Maura placed a plate in front of her, returning to the stove to collect her own food before sitting across from Jane. She didn't look at her when she spoke, instead just nodding. "Maura I love you. You've been my best friend for so long, and for so long I dreamed you and I would get more serious; but we didn't. And then I met Casey and..." Jane sighed, feeling guiltier than ever before. "It's such bad timing. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"You're supposed to marry your fiancé." Maura said, looking up at her now, taking a sip of the tea she had in front of her. "But is that what you _want _to do?" Mauras question made Jane groan. Why? Why did this have to happen NOW?

"I don't know." Jane told her honestly. Lying to her or trying to make her feel better would do nothing but make things worse in the long run, and Jane knew it. "Maura I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She shrugged casually, her heart caving inside her chest.

"I just need some time to decide what to do. I don't want to hurt either of you." Jane felt tears burning her eyes as she caught a glimpse of a photo of herself and Casey on the counter behind Maura.

"I know you don't." Maura wasn't giving her much to go on, though she hardly deserved anything from her at this point. "Are you sure he won't be home any time soon?" Maura accentuated the gender pronoun, making Jane flinch.

"Come on." Jane said, calling Maura out on her attitude. "Casey will not be home today." She concluded, hoping it put an end to that conversation for a while.

"Do you want me to leave?" Maura asked, putting her fork down silently.

"No." Janes word came quickly, making a slight smile find its way to the corners of Mauras mouth. Jane laughed at her own enthusiasm. "Unless you'd like to." She added, giving Maura the option. As if on cue, both the women's phone began to ring. They both sighed. Of course they had a murder today, of course they did.

"Come on." Maura whispered, heading toward the bedroom where they had discarded their clothes the night before. The women had changed in front of each other more than once, but suddenly the air was thick and it seemed so inappropriate. Jane could sense how uncomfortable Maura was, and she knew her well enough to know she wouldn't say anything.

"I'll give you some privacy; just let me grab some clothes." Jane said quietly as she gathered her usual work attire with one hand. She gave her friend a small smile as she left the room, closing the door behind her as she headed into her spare bedroom. It seemed ridiculous, changing separately. She hadn't seemed to mind last night when she let me take her clothes _off, _Jane thought.

"We'll take separate cars." Maura said matter-of-factly as she stepped into her pumps. Jane would normally protest, knowing Maura would end up coming back to her place after work, but she knew it wasn't the right day to offer.

"Yep." Was all that came out of her mouth as she grabbed her keys and phone, following Maura out the door. Maura sighed as she got into her car, catching Jane look at her in her rear view mirror. She knew she was being petty and annoying, but she felt totally justified in her actions.

"Wait." Maura called as she got out of the car, Jane turning her car off and getting out. "You can't do that." Maura told her, crossing her arms across her chest. Janes eyes widened as though Maura had spoken a foreign language.

"What?" Jane sounded casual, genuinely uninterested in Mauras words.

"What?" Maura laughed, starting to get annoyed at her friends ignorance. "You cannot kiss me, have sex with me, hold me all night, let me cook you breakfast and then tell me you don't know if you want me after all." The words hit Jane like a ton of bricks, her chest heaving as she felt a panic attack head her way. Her breath got suddenly shallow, her palms sweating.

She couldn't speak, her heart racing as she took in Mauras words.

"Jane, stop." Mauras voice was soft now as she sat Jane down on the ground, rubbing her back softly. "Breathe." Maura instructed, sighing to herself. Of course the one time she decides to stand up and say what she's thinking, she gives Jane, of all people, a panic attack. Once she knew Jane had calmed down enough to be safely left alone, Maura headed toward her car. Maura let out a slight squeal as she was pushed into her car, her arm yanked so her back was against the car.

Before she could process or protest to what was happening, Janes lips were against hers. It was a harsh kiss, nothing soft or gentle or romantic about it. It was sending a message.

"Jane?" My heart sank into my chest as she pulled away from me at the sound of her fiancés voice behind us.


End file.
